Everybody's Fool
by Ghost of a Heart that Once Was
Summary: - During the SK War - After he wakes up alone on an empty battlefield, Chiro comes to believe that everything he went through with the monkeys was all an act, and he betrays his closest friends in favor of his greatest enemy - Skeleton King.
1. Realization?

**This story was inspired by the song "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence, which is an AWESOME song BTW, and it's not something that I'd usually write, but I just HAD to! You know, just out of curiosity. Some Spova and Chinmay in here, but not **_**too **_**much. Hope you like it! R&R**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SRMTHFG, just the plot that I happen to be including them in.**

**Oh, and this takes place during the SK War. Just to let ya know.**

* * *

A shadowy figure chuckled to himself as he took in the sights of the great battle below. Standing at his tower window, the newly reborn Skeleton King took great pleasure at the bloodshed. His dark, hollow eye sockets could still see, and what they did made the Lord of Darkness break into a crooked smile.

The setting was perfectly dramatic. The usually bright blue sky was blanketed with dark grey, almost blue-black, clouds that threatened to break open and pour rain any moment. Occasionally, a zigzag of lightning would slice through the air, bathing everything in a brilliant white light. The rumbles and clashes of thunder that followed shortly after would blend into the sounds of heavy battle below. On the charred and blood stained ground, the Hyperforce and their allies were lashing out with their weapons, they had done so for hours now, but had not even made it halfway to his fortress.

Skeleton King threw his head back and laughed at it all. It's not that his skeleton soldiers were _extremely _powerful, they were strong, and they simply outnumbered the Hyperforce. They also had no _real_ emotions. Heartless and will-less beings, only driven to war by his command, they did not falter if one of their comrades was struck down; they merely stepped over the body and continued to attack their prey.

Hearing joyous snorts of laughter to his right, Skeleton King glanced downward at the mutated skeleton monkey standing beside him, viewing the battle through his good eye.

"Isn't it glorious Mandarin?" he asked

"Indeed, it is my Lord." Mandarin replied, his eyes gleaming in the dim light

"Finally, after so long, those annoying primates will be stomped out of existence and Suggazoom City will be **MINE**! And after I claim it, I will _crush_ it."

"I will greatly enjoy seeing that my Lord."

"I will not stop here though. Soon after Suggazoom is rubbed out, the entire Universe shall follow."

Lightning flashed behind the menacing fortress as the air was filled with evil laughter.

. ..._ . ._. _._ _... _ _.. _._ ... .._. _ _ ._..

The air was heavy and humid as the storm broke above the battlefield. The rain started to pour from the heavens as Chiro charged at two skeleton soldiers.

"Lightning Kick!" The powerful kick smashed trough the weak point of the soldier's armor at the base of the spine, breaking the bones and causing the creature to become ooze once more.

"Thunder Punch!" Chiro spun in midair and aimed a blow at the base of the neck, the other weak point in the skeleton soldiers' armor. The bone crunched unpleasantly under his fist, and Chiro felt it turn to ooze, the back goo seeping through the fabric of his bright orange glove.

He landed heavily on the blackened soil, not seeing the third soldier behind him. He turned just as it brought down its sword, slashing a shallow cut across his forehead. He cried out in shock and pain as the metal sliced through his pale skin, causing warm, sticky blood to run down his face in tiny streams.

"Chiro! Why you…!" yelled an angry voice "**BOOM BOOM WAKE UP!**"

The golden warrior monkey slammed her fists down on the square of the creature's back, her rose colored eyes full of fire, crushing the bone and causing the skeleton to turn into black goo, staining the battle-scarred ground.

Gibson, the blue furred scientist of the team, rushed over to tend to Chiro's wound, Nova at his heels.

"I'm all right, I'm okay," Chiro reassured the two monkeys "Head wounds always bleed too – Jinmay! Look out!"

He spotted a skeleton soldier behind the pink haired robot girl, the creature's sword raised high above its head. She jumped and flipped behind it, shooting it with her eye beams as she neared the ground. It had turned to ooze before her feet touched the earth.

"Thanks!" she called, then ran over to help Neekeeta, who was facing four enemies at once.

Gibson was still fussing over Chiro and Nova had run back into the battle. The coal haired boy shooed Gibson away by pointing out that Suupa needed help, and tied his fiery orange scarf over his cut.

The boy stood up, swaying slightly, and took in the scene around him. The warm rain was coming down hard now, making it hard to see very far, but what he did almost brought him back to his knees again.

Sprx had a bloody gash on his side and a large bruise over his left eye, but was still charging at three soldiers.

"Gyro Roll!" He yelled, and knocked them down; the ooze left behind formed a giant black puddle that looked like oil before absorbing into the ground.

Neekeeta and Jinmay were fighting two new soldiers, the remains of the four they faced dissolving behind them. The light grey cat slashed at her opponent with her katana and Jinmay fired her heart cannon at hers. Jinmay's usually shiny metal surface was covered in scratches and dents and Neekeeta's fur was matted with blood from a large cut on her right arm, but the two still continued to fight.

Gibson and Suupa faded in and out of his sight, fighting a small band of five soldiers at once.

"Spin Shocker!" Gibson yelled, and Suupa fired his gun, knocking out three of them, but two remained.

The evil duo charged at the blue companions. Gibson tripped his opponent with is tail and stabbed its back with his drill, but Suupa didn't jump in time and his chest armor got cracked by the soldier. The frog fell to the ground, winded and helpless as the skeleton raised its weapon, but before it could bring it down, it was cut in two by a bright green energy saw. Otto landed next to Suupa and helped him up.

Chiro smiled, glad that they were okay, but his happiness was brief. All around him, his friends were getting hurt, protecting the universe from evil, but injuring themselves in the process.

"_Why do we have to fight?" _thought the boy _"What did we ever do to deserve this? What did our allies ever do to deserve this? All this pain and sacrifice, it's too much! Wh-…?"_

And that was the last thought that went through the boy's mind before he was struck from behind and it all went dark.

. ..._ . ._. _._ _... _ _.. _._ ... .._. _ _ ._..

Chiro awoke many hours later, spitting out mud. The rain had stopped, and so had the battle. The blue eyed boy sat up and gingerly touched the swollen spot at the back of his head. It was very sensitive; he pulled back his hand quickly as pain shot through his skull. As he took in his surroundings, he saw that he was alone. The battle had ended and the ground was still stained with blood and ooze. The soldiers and his friends had gone. All was silent except for rustling sounds as the wind blew small pieces of debris and papers across the compacted ground.

"Hello?" he called; a small amount of fear laced his voice.

He remembered his communicator. Chiro looked down at his chest, only to find a crushed radio device. His head injury would make it too hard to concentrate on the Power Primate; there was no way to contact the team now.

"HELLO? ANYBODY? MONKEY TEAM?" he yelled again, but it was futile. There was nobody around, nobody to hear him scream. (Or was there?)

"Hello, my hairless monkey."

Chiro whirled around, causing his vision to blur and his head to throb from moving so quickly, and found Mandarin leaning cockily against a boulder, a smirk playing at the corners of the demonic monkey's mouth.

"Mandarin!" Chiro spat.

"In the flesh!" the evil monkey said, mock bowing.

"What do you want?" asked the coal haired boy.

"Same as always," Mandarin replied "To _destroy_ you! HAAAAHHHHHH!"

"HHRRAAHHHHH!" Chiro yelled, punching Mandarin as the evil monkey tried to slash him with his new claw. The two clashed in midair, each knocking the other down to the ground.

"You're mine now, _boy_!" spat the deformed skeleton monkey as he charged at the coal haired boy, his bone claw slashing at the air in a vain attempt to slit his target's throat.

"No way Mandarin!" Chiro shouted, dodging the claw just in time "We_ will_ stop you!"

"We?" Mandarin questioned mockingly "_WE? _Mwah-Ha-Ha-Ha! Why, my hairless monkey, don't make me laugh. The only beings I see here are you and I. You're all _alone._"

"No Monkey Team member is ever alone." said Chiro boldly

"Reeaallllyyy?" the orange monkey asked "Then tell me boy, when you awoke, where were your beloved teammates? Where were your allies?"

Chiro was silent, his eyes fixed coldly at his opponent. Maybe it was the concussion, but Chiro saw that the evil monkey had a point. Although he sure as hell wasn't about to admit it.

"Don't know? Well then, I will tell you. They retreated back to your _beloved_ Super Robot with their tails between their legs." Mandarin said, laughing

"No! They would never retreat, never back down from a fight! I don't believe you!" Chiro cried angrily, shaking his head violently

"Well then, tell me, where did they go?" Mandarin inquired, smiling evilly.

"Ah... Uh..." the boy hung his head, realization setting in. They left him!

"_He's right. I was alone when I woke up, I'm alone now. Where did you go Monkey Team?" _he thought, hot tears welling up in his eyes _"Why did you leave me?"_

Mandarin smiled at the boy's tears and took advantage of Chiro's distressed state. "You see, they never _really_ cared for you, they never _really_ wanted you as their leader. I could tell. They were disappointed that you were the Chosen One. The idea of no longer having to put up an act was _too good_ to pass up, so they left you for dead**. **... The truth hurts, doesn't it, boy?"

Chiro's entire body seemed to sag and his shoulders shook slightly with silent sobs. _"Is he right? Is what Mandarin saying true? Was it really just an act? All of it?"_

Mandarin snickered. "_Ha! Idiot boy!" _He thought_ "You fell for the bait, now all my Master and I have to do is sit back and watch you fall apart."_

"Face it _boy_," Mandarin said "You were _everybody's_ _**fool**_."

Chiro stared at his feet, his vision blurred by his tears, in such a state of shock that the Monkey Team had left him that he didn't hear Mandarin's footsteps coming closer. He barely felt it this time when he was struck in the head again, and didn't mind it at all when the world went dark once more.

* * *

**Tell me if you liked it or if there's anything that needs to be fixed.**


	2. Decision

**Yeah, adding this chapter early cuz I'm going camping and won't be near a computer for a while. (THE HORROR! . . . e.o . . . yeah. JK, dude, JK)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SRMTHFG and never will. If I somehow **_**do **_**end up owning it, RUN because it's a sign of the apocalypse.**

**In this chapter, if you see bold font in quotation marks, it's just to differentiate between voices if it's through a communicator or something. When you read the paragraph with italic font, that's a "dream" of sorts. Just to let you know. :) **

* * *

"_Chiro, where _**are**_ you?" _thought Jinmay worriedly. The robot girl was flying through the darkening twilight sky in search of the blue-eyed boy. The last one to have seen Chiro was Gibson, and that was _hours_ ago. She shook her head sadly at the recent memory of retreating. They didn't _want_ to run away, but they had no choice! There were just too many soldiers to fight and almost all of the Team and their allies had sustained heavy injuries.

Nobody had noticed that Chiro wasn't with them until they had reached the Super Robot. Jinmay, Otto, Sprx, and Nova all wanted to get back out there and look for him, but Antauri and Gibson played the voices of reason. They were injured, what if they were attacked and outnumbered, what if they collapsed, what if. . . too many 'what if'-s. But the blue and silver monkeys had a point and the four agreed to go out and search for Chiro as soon as they could, but they couldn't find him.

As Jinmay scanned the ground below, she heard a familiar beeping sound and saw the tiny red light flashing on her communicator. She pressed the button and Otto's voice transmitted through the speaker.

"**Hey Jinmay, did ya find him yet?"**

"No Otto, nothing."

"**That's weird." **came his reply.

"What's weird?" she asked

"**Well, we're looking for a human kid wearing all white on flat terrain. Ya think we would've spotted him by now."**

". . ."

"**What?"**

"You're right, that is really strange**. **. . ." Jinmay paused and an unpleasant thought crossed her mind. She inhaled sharply and asked "Otto, you don't think he could've been captured, could he?"

"**I don't wanna think it, but . . . Mmm. . .I'm gonna keep lookin. Otto, out."**

Jinmay hung her head and her eyes brimmed with tears at the thought of Chiro being captured by Skeleton King.

"_No." _she thought determinately, blinking the tears away and shaking her head vigorously _"Chiro's strong. He wouldn't let himself be taken. Not without a fight! . . . But, we've been looking for – what's that?"_

Scanning the battlefield, she saw a flash of white. Jinmay magnified her vision and fixed her eyes on that white speck. With her enhanced vision, she could make out a familiar white uniform, bright orange gloves, and an oh-so-wonderfully tacky scarf.

She smiled with relief, but that grin quickly faded and was replaced with a concerned frown. He was lying on the ground, unconscious.

"Oh no. . ." she breathed "CHIRO!"

The robot girl sped forward, as fast as she could go, the white speck on the horizon growing larger and larger. Soon, she could make out the outlines of his dark blue boots, a mess of black hair, his long eyelashes . . . she was there. Rushing over to Chiro's unconscious form, she contacted the Monkey Team.

"Otto, Sprx, Nova, Gibson, Antauri . . . Do you read me?"

"**Yup."**

"**Loud and clear."**

"**I hear ya."**

"**What is it Jinmay?"**

"**Have you found Chiro?"**

"Yes, I found him, but he's hurt and unconscious." Jinmay's voice was full of concern, but all was silent from the monkeys.

"**... Jinmay, check his pulse and see if he's breathing." **Gibson said, trying to be calm, but it only made his voice seem strained

Jinmay gulped, but bent down and placed her shaking fingers on his neck.

"**Don't say that Gibson!" **Nova cried, her voice cracking

"**Yeah!" **agreed Sprx **"You trying to jinx the kid or somethin'?"**

"It's okay guys," Jinmay reassured them "His pulse is kind of weak, but it's there, and he's breathing, but it's… irregular."

"**Irregular?" **cried Nova

"**Irregular how?" **demanded Gibson

"He's breathing like he just ran a marathon."

"**..."**

"**... We'll be right there Jinmay. Don't turn off your communicator, we have to follow the signal." **Antauri instructed.

"Okay," Jinmay said ". . . Please hurry Monkey Team."

She laid Chiro's head on her lap and stroked his hair gently, trying to keep calm.

"_Oh, Chiro," _she thought _"Please be okay. I-I . . ."_

"I don't know what I would do without you." she whispered, kissed him gently on the forehead, and let her tears fall. After a few minutes, she broke the kiss and she looked up at the navy sky, the stars like tiny diamonds, the moon full, and . . . five glowing yellow dots getting larger by the second.

"_Oh thank Suggazoom, they're here!" _the green eyed girl thought joyously, waving her arms to get the Monkey Team's attention.

As the red, yellow, green, blue, and silver monkeys landed and ran over to her and Chiro, Jinmay couldn't help but feel that everything was going to be okay.

**. ..._ . ._. _._ _... _ _.. _._ ... .._. _ _ ._..**

"_Huh? Wh-Where . . . am . . . I?" Chiro asked._

_The raven haired boy was suspended in midair, he couldn't move his limbs, it was freezing, there was darkness all around him, and yet, he felt strangely calm. _

"_**Chiro..."**_

"_Uhh... Wh-who said that?"_

"_**Chiro..."**_

_The voice belonged to a male; it was rather deep, with a slight raspy sound to it, and it sounded vaguely familiar. Chiro knew it from _somewhere_, but couldn't remember _where,_ exactly. _

"_**Chiro...!" **__the voice sounded more urgent now._

"_Who- Where are you?" Chiro yelled "Do you need help?"_

"_**Chiro!"**_

"_Okay, concentrate." Chiro told himself. He closed his eyes and listened for the voice again._

"_**Chiro!"**_

_The boy_ _turned to the left, the direction where the voice was coming from. _

"_**Chiro... HURRY!"**_

"_I-I can't!" he yelled into the black abyss "I can't move!"_

_It was silent except for the sound of his breathing while Chiro waited for the voice to reply._

"_Hello? A-are you still th-there?" he asked_

"_**Try to move."**_

"_What?"_

"_**Try to move. Please, hurry Chiro!"**_

"_Okay, okay!"_

_Chiro took a deep breath, the cold air cut into his throat and lungs like he swallowed a handful of carving knives, but it enabled him to focus and he found he could now use his limbs. They felt stiff and sore, like he was in the same position too long, but at least he could move again. _

"_**Hurry! You must decide! You must see!"**_

"_Decide what? What are you talking about?" Chiro cried, running as fast as he could in the direction of the mysterious voice. The boy waited for a reply, but all was silent, so he kept running. _

_Or at least, it felt like he was running. His feet weren't touching anything, but something kept moving them forward. He felt cold wind on his face, but his eyes weren't watering. He wasn't breathing hard, but his chest was on fire. After what felt like an eternity, but was in reality only a few minutes, he saw a glimmering light ahead of him. Sprinting now, the light grew larger by the second until he was practically on top of it. _

"_Whoa." he breathed_

_In front of him, there was a large, glowing . . . thing. Words could not describe it. It was flat, like glass, and it had no real shape. Whenever Chiro thought he figured out what shape it was, it would shift. Upon closer inspection of its smooth surface, Chiro saw tiny intricate patterns swirling around just under the surface, like oil on water. _

_When the raven haired boy tried to pull his head back from the surface, he found he couldn't. He was getting sucked into… whatever it was. _

_"N-NO!" he cried, shielding his eyes as the light grew blinding and he was pulled through the glass. _

_After the light had dimmed, Chiro found himself sprawled on an ash colored terrain. He picked himself up and dusted himself off, staring at his new surroundings. There wasn't much to see. There were no trees, no bushes, Chiro couldn't even tell if there was a sky. All there was, was an empty, murky, grey colored space. _

_Or at least, that's what the boy thought. Suddenly, a large black sphere whizzed past him, narrowly missing his left ear. His eyes widened and he fell to the ground in shock. The sphere was darker than a midnight sky, its smooth surface dull, as if it was covered with a thin layer of dust. Then, out of nowhere, a white orb appeared, following the black circle at a high speed. Its flawless surface had a somewhat creamy luster, almost like a pearl. _

_As if sensing the white sphere's presence, the black sphere halted and changed direction. The two orbs clashed in midair, sending off a brilliant array of sparks. Again and again they collided, neither losing any energy, neither sustaining any damage._

"_**Do you see the spheres Chiro?" **__the voice was back._

"_Y-yeah I see them. What a-are they doing? What do they mean?"_

"_**What you're seeing is a way of viewing the conflict that is happening inside of yourself. The white represents your good side, all you stood for, the 'Yang' of your soul. The black is the 'Yin' of your soul. It is a reflection of your feelings, and all you might stand for in the future. When the two clash, it disrupts the balance and creates confusion and pain."**_

"_Umm... could you repeat that?" Chiro asked sheepishly_

"_**Your soul is conflicted! You are struggling inside yourself. Struggling to decide which path to take. Yin –"**_

"_Or Yang." Chiro finished "... Why am I fighting with myself? What's there to decide?"_

"_**Do you decide to forget what Mandarin told you and seek the truth? Or will you accept what the orange monkey said and seek revenge?"**_

_Chiro sighed. He knew that it was wrong to just make a decision without knowing all the facts, but the Monkeys hadn't been there to help! They left him! What if all that Mandarin told him about the Team never wanting him as their leader was true? What if it was all just an act? ... But… what if it wasn't?_

_Chiro shook his head violently and stared up at the clashing circles and around the grey space again. Watching the spheres, he found that they already made the decision for him._

He smiled and opened his eyes.

* * *

**Oohhh . . .! Which side did he choose? **

**Yeah, I know this chapter was not my best, but I couldn't think of another way to describe a 'conflicted soul.' So, yes, a giant empty space with Yin/Yang spheres is my weird interpretation of a metaphor-thingy for a soul, okay? Yeah… not the best metaphor.**

**And if you don't know, just to clarify, Yin is the black, dark, bad, nasty side and Yang is the white, bright, good, nice side.**


	3. Nova's Tears

**Here's chappie numbah **_**tres!**_** I didn't think I'd be this into this story, but writing it is so **_**addicting**_**! I love it! XD **

**There's gonna be a Spova moment near the end of this chapter, so heads up!**

**Disclaimer: See the first two chapters or just use your brain. I don't own SRMTHFG**.

* * *

Nova sat stiffly in the metal chair next to Chiro's bed in the Med Bay. A short while ago, Nova had gotten up for a drink and went to check on her unconscious leader. She found Jinmay still awake and about to pass out from exhaustion. So, the yellow monkey told the fatigued robot girl to go get some rest.

Jinmay resisted at first, claiming she was fine, but Nova knew better, and kept on her until the pink-haired girl caved and went to bed. Now it was the yellow monkey's turn to play guardian over the boy. Nova gently stroked Chiro's raven hair as her eyes started to mist over.

"Chiro," Nova whispered "I'm sosorry I didn't stay with you when we were fighting. If I had, maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt. But, even if you did, I would've been there! I would've known, I could've helped! Oh Chiro, please be okay."

A few tears rolled down Nova's face, lingering on her cheeks and chin and reflecting the lights of flashing machines and buttons, making her golden pelt sparkle. These tears only increased in number as Nova recalled what had happened a just few hours before.

_*flashback _(_Nova's POV)__*_

_Retreating from a fight was something I thought I'd never have to do. But this time, there were just too many soldiers to fight and we were all injured, so we had to run. When I was flying back to the Super Robot, I had a nasty feeling in my gut, it was twisting and churning, I felt so guilty. When we ran away, we let ourselves, the citizens of Suggazoom, and the entire _Universe_down. Skeleton King won that battle, and it was only going to give him strength and confidence in the war. In all the panic and confusion of retreating, none of us noticed Chiro wasn't with us until we did a head count back at the Super Robot. _

"_Where's Chiro?" _

_Two simple words that brought my entire world crashing down._

_Chiro, the Team's leader, my friend, my teammate, he was family to me. Maybe because he was just a kid and I was the only girl on the Team for so long, I kind of developed a maternal instinct towards him. I don't think I could take it if he was killed. I sank to my knees and started shaking; I was so worried and afraid for him. Without Chiro, the Team would fall apart, and with the Team, my entire life. _

_/_

_The night air was warm and calm, a soft breeze ruffling my fur as I sped through the air at top speed on my rocket pack. What I felt on the outside was the polar opposite of what I felt on the inside. Fear, concern, sadness, hopelessness all tore at my insides as I scanned the barren ground for any sign of Chiro. A million thoughts whirled around my head, the knot in my stomach growing larger as each one bubbled up to the surface of my consciousness. _

"_What if he's badly hurt? What if he was captured? What if he's being tortured? What if he's at Mandarin's mercy? What if he's fighting Skeleton King by himself? What if he's dea..?"_

_I didn't get to finish the last one. Jinmay's call came and she told us she found Chiro. Happiness and relief flooded through me until; _"... hurt and unconscious."

_I felt bile rise up at the back of my throat. _

"_Hurt? Unconscious? How bad is he hurt? Is he bleeding? How long has he been unconscious? Unconscious or… _dead?"_ These were just some of the thoughts spinning through my head. I felt like I was going to be sick and Gibson didn't make it any better._

"... Jinmay, check his pulse and see if he's breathing."

_What was wrong with that monkey? He's such a pessimist! After I survived another round of not-so-good news;_

"... pulse is kind of weak ... breathing, but it's… irregular."

_Sprx, Otto, Gibson, Antauri, and I all flew to where Jinmay and Chiro were._

_/_

_When the five of us met in the air, we shared worried looks. Otto looked like he was about to cry, Sprx and Gibson looked like they were going to be sick, and Antauri's face held a worried scowl. _

_We saw Jinmay's magenta gloves waving to us in the moonlight, her metal surface reflecting the stars overhead. We all sped up when we saw Chiro laying on the ground, his head on her lap and his limbs limp. When we landed next to them, I felt relieved that Chiro was safe with us, but I knew that there was noting to really celebrate. _

_Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at the unconscious form of our leader. Chiro's coal black hair was matted with a dark, sticky substance at the back, I looked closer and saw two swollen lumps that glistened sickly in the moonlight with drying blood. There was a dark red and brown crust of dried blood and mud all over him, his skin was even paler than usual, a thin film of sweat glistened on Chiro's face, and his clothes were torn and muddy. His breathing came in shallow gasps and he moaned occasionally. Covered in deep purple bruises and inflamed cuts, Chiro looked like he went one-on-one with a giant car compacter. That was on fire. And surrounded by rabid dogs. With knives._

_When we took off for the Super Robot, Jinmay, Gibson, and Antauri carried Chiro. Jinmay cradled his head in her arms, Antauri clutched Chiro's midriff, and Gibson held his legs. I flew near Jinmay, never taking my eyes off of Chiro's pale face. Sprx and Otto flew beneath us, just in case Chiro fell. Even though I didn't see him, I could tell that every once in a while, Sprx's gaze fell on me. I don't know the reason, but it felt kinda nice to think that he cared. _

_/_

_When we arrived at the Super Robot, we immediately rushed Chiro into the Med Bay. As soon as we laid him on a bed, Gibson pressed a button and a couple machines came down and started scanning Chiro. On the large screen above us, a list of ailments came on. _

_**SEVERE CONCUSSION**_

_**INFECTED CUTS**_

_**MAJOR BRUISING**_

_**CRACKED RIBS**_

_**FRACTURED LEFT WRIST**_

_**CONSIDERABLE BLOOD LOSS**_

_We all paled as we read the list. Gibson gulped and typed in a few commands with shaking fingers._

_A few moments later, mechanical arms holding various medical supplies came down from the ceiling. One held antiseptic, one gripped a roll of cloth bandage, another clutched and I.V. bag filled with blood. A few more mechanical arms positioned themselves above Chiro and stared resetting his broken bones before tightly binding them._

_Gibson, Antauri and I started cleaning his wounds, Jinmay followed us with the bandage, Otto ran to get ice, and Sprx put the I.V. into Chiro's left arm. We fixed him up in less than an hour, now it was up to Chiro to get better. Although he didn't look as bad when he was cleaned up, seeing him all bandaged still hurt._

_I knew I was going to cry so I turned away and left, mumbling something about getting dinner started. I felt Sprx's eyes on my back as I walked away. This time, I wasn't sure it was because he cared or if he felt that I didn't._

_*end flashback (Normal POV)*_

Warm, salty tears were flowing freely down Nova's face now, her slender frame shaking with sobs. Her rose colored orbs blinked rapidly in a vain attempt to control the crystalline teardrops. She clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth, trying to get a hold of herself.

"_Calm down Nova!" _she yelled inside her head _"This is weakness! Warriors don't show weakness! Control yourself!"_

Yelling at herself to _stop _crying only made her feel guilty for not feeling sad and that only made her cry more.

So absorbed in her sadness, Nova didn't hear the smooth _whoosh _of the Med Bay door sliding open or the soft tapping of metal footsteps on the tiled floor.

"Nova? Are you okay?"

Immediately, the waterworks stopped. Nova's eyes widened, her back became rigid, and her pulse quickened. She knew that voice. The yellow monkey turned around and faced the newcomer. Sprx.

The crimson monkey stood, shoulders slouched, tail drooping, and rubbing the sleep from his right eye. Yawning, he repeated his question.

"You okay Novs?"

"Y-yeah, of course."

"You sure? You don't look okay and until a few seconds ago, you didn't sound too okay either."

Sprx was right. Nova's eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, her fur was wet, her lower lip was quivering, and her bubblegum pink eyes were still brimming with tears.

She looked down at her feet and started fiddling with the metal tip on her tail. Sprx smiled slightly and walked over to her, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder and cupping her chin in his other.

"Hey... you... uh... wanna talk about it?" he asked her, his voice soft and dark eyes pleading. Nova couldn't help but to smile a bit.

"Y-yeah." she said, her voice wavering with emotion. "It's Chiro. I-it just hurts seeing him like this. He's only a-a fourteen year old human b-boy, but he's fighting in a war! He never asked for this! Until now, I n-never really thought about how easy it is f-for him to get hurt. A-and now, h-he's badly injured, but knowing him, h-he's gonna want to fight anyway. Plus, I-I guess I feel g-guilty about leaving him on t-the battlefield. I mean, I was there! I was with him! But then, I ran off and he got hurt! I feel like it's _my _fault."

She slumped back in her chair, new tears spilling down over her cheeks. Sprx's eyes were wide as he watched her.

"_Oh man, I've never seen her cry like this. There's gotta be something I can do to make her feel better." _Sprx thought to himself

"Hey," he whispered, gently stroking her cheek and wiping away her tears "Hey, Nova, it wasn't your fault."

"Yes it –" she started to protest, but Sprx cut her off.

"Hey, Nova, listen to me. It isn't your fault that the kid got hurt, it's nobody's fault."

"But –"

"Nova, I know that this isn't easy on you, but you gotta believe that it's hard on all of us. Blaming yourself for it isn't gonna make this any easier. And don't you think we know that Chiro's just a kid? But he's strong and he knew the risks of this. He's gonna be okay."

She looked at him, pink eyes pleading, her mouth quivering, and hands clasped.

"You think so Sprx?"

"I know so. You think that any of us are gonna let anything happen to him?"

She smiled, shook her head, and said boldly. "No, no we're not."

"There's the Nova I know and lo-" his eyes widened and he quickly cut himself off.

"Know and...?" Nova inquired "_And_ what?"

"U-uh... ummm... uh..."

"_CRAP! You've blown it! Gah, you _idiot!"Sprx slapped himself in the forehead.

"Sprx? Are you alright?" Nova asked, concerned for the red simian.

"Never better, babe."

"You sure?"

"Sure of what?"

"Sure that you don't want to finish that sentence? I won't get mad or hit you or anything. I promise."

"Swear?"

"Warrior's honor."

"O-okay. But I-I can't tell you _exactly_, it's s-something I have to... uh... well, I just can't _tell _you, okay?" Sprx was sweating slightly now and he was fiddling with is hands.

"Okayyyy..." Nova cocked a helmet brow, confused. He wasn't making sense.

Sprx thought for a moment.

"Close your eyes." he told her

"What?"

"Just close your eyes. Please?"

"Fine," Nova said, closing her eyes "I feel like an idiot."

"That makes two of us." Sprx muttered under his breath.

"You say something?"

"Nope. Are your eyes closed?"

"Yeah. I still don't under-mmmph!"

While Nova was talking, Sprx leaned in and kissed her.

Her eyes shot open in shock, but she didn't push him away. The crimson monkey saw this as a good thing and deepened the kiss. After a few seconds, Nova's eyes started to close and she kissed back. His tail wrapped around her waist and she slid her arms over her shoulders. For a minute, they stayed in that embrace, braking apart only for air.

"Sprx..." Nova breathed, intoxicated by the kiss.

"Nova? Nova?" Sprx asked, shaking her "Wake up! Nova! Wake up already!"

"WAH!" Nova cried, awaking in the Med Bay with a start. Dazed, she rubbed her head and took a deep breath.

"_It was just a dream," _she told herself _"Just a dream."_

She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Nova?" a familiar voice asked "Something wrong?"

The golden female snapped out of her post-dream daze and became fully aware of the warm hand on her shoulder. Looking up, her rose colored eyes locked with a pair of sky blue orbs, topped with a mess of raven black hair.

"Chiro...?" she breathed.

The boy nodded and said somewhat flatly, "Of course it's me, were you expecting someone else?"

"CHIRO!" Nova cried happily, and throwing her arms around him "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Chiro muttered under his breath. He didn't hug back.

"What'd you say?" the warrior monkey asked, looking up at him.

"Nothing."

" ... " Nova just stared at him. She felt something was off.

"What?" he demanded

Nova just kept staring, trying to figure out what was different. His body was stiff and unwelcoming, his spine erect and arms tight by his sides. His mouth was set in a firm line, his jaw line hard, like he was gritting his teeth. It seemed like he was restraining himself from something. But that wasn't what was bothering her. It was his eyes. They were... _cold._

Chiro's normally warm and sparkling blue irises were icy and hard, like frosted steel on a freezing January day, and they were _glaring_ down at her. It scared Nova to see him looking at her like that.

"Chiro, is everything okay?" she asked, concerned

"Oh, _yeah!"_ he said sarcastically, pulling out of Nova's grip and turning away "Never better!"

"If something's bothering you, we can fix…" she started to say, reaching out a comforting hand.

"No Nova, you can't fix it!" he yelled, banging his fist on the bed where he had recently lain.

She drew her hand back quickly, as if she had touched a hot surface and it burned her.

"I woke up, _alone__,_ out there! Do you have any idea what it's like, waking up on a godforsaken battlefield, your friends gone and there's nobody around to hear you scream?"

Nova shook her head, wrapping her arms around her and drawing her knees inward. He glared at her shaking and vulnerable-looking form, and continued his rant.

"Luckily, there _was_ somebody there, and he helped me see the truth in things. ... So tell me, was it all _just_ a _**lie**_? All _just _an _**act**_?"

"Chiro I don't know what you're –"

"Don't toy with me! Just tell me the truth!"

"What are you asking? I don't understa –"

"The _truth!_ Was all of this," he pulled at his uniform "all a _lie?_ Did you _really _want me for your leader? Or did you just have _no choice_?"

Nova was in tears now and was shaking uncontrollably. Chiro loomed over her, his hands balled into fists and his eyes filled with rage. The golden female couldn't believe that Chiro, the sweet, kind, caring, selfless boy that they all cared deeply for, was acting like this.

As much as she wanted to reassure him, to touch him, to hug him and tell him that it wasn't a lie, that they all cared for him, she couldn't. She was crying too hard, suffocating on her own tears and sobs, and she had a feeling that he wouldn't believe her. All she could choke out was,

"Chiro... _please_. Why are you acting like this? _Please_, stop!"

"This isn't an act! I just want the truth! Did you guys even _care_ that I was missing?"

"Of cor–"

"Did you even _want_ to fix me up?"

"Ye–"

"Were you waiting here because you _cared_, or because somebody _told_ you to?"

"Because I –"

"All _LIES_!" Chiro screamed and became bathed in a harsh green light. "**MONKEY MIND SCREAM!**"

"WHAAAHHHH!" Nova cried as the piercing sound filled her ears, clutching her head as the noise and pain became unbearable.

Chiro's anger and pain fueled him, increasing his power. Nova screamed bloody murder out as the attack reached a new pitch and blood seeped out of her sound receptors. Hot tears streamed along her face as she felt the warm, sticky substance run down her hands and neck. Suddenly, the sound stopped and a new sound filled the monkey's ears. Chiro's cold, cruel laughter and the throbbing in her head were the last two things Nova remembered before the tiled floor came rushing up to meet her and the world became dark.

* * *

**Dun-dun-da-dum! DUN-DUN-DA-DUUMMMM . . . ! Hee-hee! Chiro's **_**evil**_**! Hey, if I kept him on the good side, there wouldn't be much of a story. **


	4. Running

**Disclaimer: Do I seriously need to put this?**

* * *

The inky black sky was now gently fading into a shade of indigo and the smaller stars began to blink out, one by one. The horizon was marked with a thin line of misty silver that was expanding and spreading out to the rest of the sky, paling it even more so. Dawn was fast approaching.

In the dim light cast by the sliver of moon left in the sky, a lone figure could be seen running from the broken remains of Suggazoom City towards the Zone of Wasted Years.

A little more than halfway across the bridge that connected these two places, the silhouette stopped and turned towards the once bright and bustling city. Now, the colorful buildings lay in ruin; bricks and concrete lay strewn on the ground, what was left of their metal frames stood like broken skeletons against the horizon. Sidewalks and streets were smashed and cracked; huge chunks of asphalt and cement had become uprooted and tossed from the ground, showing an intricate layout of pipes and wires.

Suggazoom's citizens were now hidden and safe. Or at least, what was left of them. Although many people remained, there were also numerous amounts of victims that had died in the panic to get out of the colorful metropolis. Some were killed by the skeleton army, some were crushed by falling pieces of rubble, and some simply trampled to death. For days the streets had run with crimson blood and the tears of the dead's loved ones. Now the city that had proudly protruded out of its atmosphere was broken, no more than a pile of dirt, rock, bone, and broken hearts.

On the bridge, the raven haired boy that stood alone sighed sadly, staring across the dark ocean at the place he had, until very recently, called home. Presently, the only thing left standing tall in the empty, broken place was the Super Robot, faintly glinting in the rising sun.

Snapping out of his trance, Chiro turned, barely acknowledged the sunrise, and kept running towards the Zone of Wasted Years. Running by the sea might be calming to most people, but it didn't have this effect on the boy. The damp, salty, coastal wind caused his hair to stick to his forehead and made his eyes itchy.

The blue-eyed boy knew he shouldn't be running in his condition; he was still dizzy from the concussion and blood loss and his chest felt like someone was stabbing him with every breath he took, due to his broken ribs. His entire body was sore and sharp pains still came from his broken wrist, shooting up his arm, but he ignored the painful throbbing that ailed him and kept running. On the inside, he felt much worse.

Chiro felt like the Monkey Team had just ripped his heart out, stabbed it, beat it, stomped on it, spit on it, and stuck it back in his chest without sewing up the hole. Mandarin's cruel words still spun in the boy's head, cutting deeper into his heart with each syllable.

"_... they never _really _cared for you, they never _really_ wanted you as their leader... They were disappointed that you were the Chosen One. ... You were_ everybody's **fool.**_"_

A new batch of hot, salty tears welled up in Chiro's sky-blue eyes and a few spilled over, mixing with the thin layer of sweat and ocean spray. It was strange though... Chiro felt numb towards all physical pain, but the emotional pain came through loud and clear.

"_Isn't this why people sometimes cut themselves?" _he thought _"To focus on the physical pain and block out their emotions? I guess I'm backwards then. When I first found out that the Monkeys didn't care, I felt a bunch of emotions. Now, I just feel sad and kinda hollow. Where'd the anger go?"_

He was just going to keep running. Run and never look back, not until he shed all his memories and emotions, not until he was completely numb. He didn't want to feel anger, hatred, sadness, pain, and emptiness anymore. But until then, he let his tears fall.

"_I guess the Monkey Team never really cared for me after all. They don't even care that I'm gone," _the distraught boy thought _"but... I cared for them! I loved them all. They were…"_

"They were my family." Chiro whispered, his voice cracking.

Pausing for a moment, the raven haired boy looked back at the remains of Suggazoom City once again. The foundation on which it rested was covered in heaps of dirt and mounds of rubble, all of which were illuminated with the white-gold brilliance of daybreak. The Super Robot, although dented and its metal armor ripped off in some places, still stood erect. Sighing sadly, he turned and kept running.

It was quiet now, almost peaceful. The gentle lapping sounds of the waves as they swept past the large pillars that held the bridge up, the steady sound of Chiro's feet smacking the pavement, the huffing sounds of his breathing, and the deep, rhythmic beating of his heart. After a while, it became comfortable to him, the sounds familiarizing themselves, enveloping him. For hours it was like this, the rhythm filling Chiro's ears. He almost smiled. Almost.

The small hint of happiness and peace he had felt on the overpass came to an abrupt stop when Chiro reached the end of the bridge. Beyond the edge was the Zone of Wasted Years, which held many horrors. The Savage Lands, The Blasted Lands, the Pit of Doom, Skeleton King's Fortress, and the Skeleton King himself. It was the last place the Monkey Team or anyone would look for him, but it was also the last place Chiro wanted to be. Taking a deep breath and shaking his head at his stupidity for coming here, Chiro continued on.

The scenery around him didn't change much. The ground was hard, dry, and rocky. Boulders in all shapes and sizes as well as smaller rocks and pebbles littered the ground, causing him to slow down slightly to a fast jog. He didn't want to fall and become even more injured than he already was.

By mid-morning, he began to feel weak. Chiro hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before and he was dehydrated from running for hours nonstop in the hot sun.

"N-no..." he panted "Can't... stop... Must... k-keep... runninggg..."

And he did. Chiro must have run for hours before his legs began to feel like wet noodles, his head began to throb until he was sure it would explode, his chest was on fire, and his mouth became dry and grossly warm. But he kept going.

"_Gotta keep running... I don't wanna feel pain anymore..." _Chiro thought

"Hello, boy." Came a malicious voice from behind him

"Whoa!" Snapping suddenly out of the world of silence he had been dwelling in for the past few hours, Chiro hurtled back to reality and landed face first on the rocky ground.

When the pain of sharp rocks protruding into his skin caused him to become fully aware of his surroundings again, Chiro noticed that it was twilight. Above him, the indigo sky was filled with stars, all sparkling and twinkling up in the heavens. He also noticed that he was staring right at a pair of silver boots. Looking up, the boy locked eyes with his worst nightmare; Skeleton King. The once-good-now-evil man with the crystal skull chuckled evilly, his crooked teeth baring what Chiro thought was a smile.

"So, this is what Suggazoom's boy hero was reduced to." the evil overlord laughed "Surprised to see me boy?"

"Skeleton King," Chiro spat, leaping up and facing the bony, self-proclaimed king that made the boy's life hell for years. "What do you want?"

"I want you to join me." he replied

"Why the hell should I join you? Why would I want to? You're half the reason I'm out here!"

"Just think about it boy. Where else are you going to go? You left those filthy primates and have no where else to go."

"So? That still isn't a good enough reason to join you. You're the reason the Team was here to begin with!"

"Do _not_remind me of the past! I am no longer that pathetic human!"

Ignoring Skeleton King's comment, Chiro continued. "_And_ you were also the one who, on a countless number of occasions, tried to take over my home and destroy me!"

"Well, I am not the reason those monkeys chose not to care about you. So boy, what's worse? My trying to rule over this pathetic city, or you so-called "best friends" betraying you?"

"Ah… ummm…" Chiro stared at his feet, shuffling them in the dirt.

Skeleton King smiled wickedly. He knew the boy was weak now, both emotionally and physically. It would be easy enough to influence him, and if the boy tried to put up a fight, Skeleton King could easily defeat him.

"So tell me boy, which side do you choose?"

"I will never join you. I might not be with the Monkey Team anymore, but there's no way I'll help you take over Suggazoom!" Chiro spat.

Skeleton King frowned. "Wrong choice."

He then reached out towards the boy, his pale hand glowing with a harsh, purple light.

"Wha-what are you doing?" asked Chiro, he stood frozen and quivering with fright.

The tall, skeletal man did not answer, but instead muttered a few strange words under his breath and the purple energy became laced with a black aura. Chiro couldn't tear his eyes away from the bright spectacle of light that was heading towards him.

"_Good_," Skeleton King thought_ "the boy is not resisting. That will make this _slightly_ less painful for him." _

When the cold, bony palm of the hand touched Chiro's forehead and the fingers wrapped themselves around the boy's head, intertwining with the black mess, it didn't hurt. Then, a huge jolt of electricity shot through the hurt boy's body. _That_ hurt.

It felt like his bones were cracking, his flesh was burning, the blood in his veins felt like ice. Chiro fainted and his body became limp, but was held upright by the Skeleton King's hand.

When the servant of the Dark Ones pulled his hand away, a black mark was burned into the center of Chiro's forehead. A skull, the symbol of the Skeleton King.

"Welcome to the dark side, young Chiro. Now, you chose right."

* * *

**Dun-dun-dun...Chiro's gone black! Well, technically, he already did, but he didn't want to join Skeleton dude. Heehee. Now he has! (Not willingly, but oh well!) R&R!**


	5. Awakening

**I'm not even going bother to put a disclaimer anymore, just read the ones from earlier chapters. And if I **_**did **_**own SRMTHFG! I would be living someplace like Fiji or Italy or somewhere in the Bahamas or something. **

* * *

_Beep . . . Beep . . . Beep . . . Beep . . ._

The soft beeping of the heart monitor was steady, the faint tone merging with the other pings and whirrs made by the various machines in Med Bay. Antauri and Sprx stood watch over Nova as she lay, unconscious, on a bed in an undamaged corner of the medical room. Things were calm now. Jinmay was in the training room and Otto and Gibson had long since repaired the equipment that took a beating from Chiro's attack.

"_Oh man . . . who would've thought that Chiro'd turn on us?" _Thought Sprx forlornly as his onyx oculars swept over Nova's still figure underneath the starched, white sheet.

The golden female's chest rose and fell at a steady rhythm, matching that of the monitor. The fur on her face was matted with dried tears and whatever blood that they couldn't wash away. It had been almost an entire day since the Team had awoken to Nova's screams and found her, bleeding and barely conscious, on the Med Bay floor.

*** o 0 * 0 o ***

_(*Flashback*)_

_Antauri and Sprx rushed over to her while Otto and Gibson started pressing buttons to activate various operations and Jinmay hovered nervously behind them. _

_Cradling her head gently in his lap, the silver simian asked;_

"_Nova, who... who did this to you?"_

_She moaned and her eyelids fluttered open. She looked first at Antauri, then Sprx, before answering his question with one word that seemed to make the entire world stop turning._

"_C-Chiro..."_

_Then she passed out and the red and silver monkeys carried her over to a table where Gibson tended to her wounds. _

*** o 0 * 0 o ***

It was quiet now; a cold, heavy silence that makes you want to run to a better place. As the clock on the computer screen changed to **5:47 pm**, Sprx stifled a yawn and hoped Antauri didn't notice. But of course, being Antauri, he did.

"Are you tired Sprx?" he asked

"Me? Tired? N-nahh…" Sprx said, yawning again

Antauri's helmet brows rose and cocking his head to the side, smirked, giving the crimson monkey an 'Oh really?' look.

"Fine, I'm tired okay? It's just... I wanna be here, if she wakes up or... something happens."

Antauri's features softened and he nodded. "I understand perfectly Sprx."

"Y-Ya do?"

Antauri nodded again, and then gestured towards Nova.

"Of course. Nova is our great friend and teammate. It is only natural that we would feel concerned, due to her condition. Chiro's betrayal is quite troubling as well. ..." Antauri glanced down at the sleeping yellow monkey and his tail drooped a bit "I never would have believed that he would do this..."

"Yeah... This whole thing... it just freaking _sucks_! I mean... what the _hell_? Why... _why _would he do this? What did we do to him?" Sprx growled, balling his hands into fists and shaking his head.

"Perhaps he felt that we left him out there on purpose."

"But we didn't! And all the stuff we did for him... _with _him. Antauri, do you think that maybe..." the red monkey trailed off.

"Maybe what?" the sterling simian inquired.

"Maybe... aw, I don't know. Maybe... he had woken up before we found him? And..."

"And in his distressed state, came to the conclusion that we left him because we wanted to?" the silver monkey paused "I do not wish to think this, but it is possible."

It was quiet for a few minutes more before Sprx yawned again and declared that he was going back to bed. After the crimson primate turned and left the room, Antauri took in Nova's motionless form.

_"Do not worry my friend," _The sterling monkey thought to himself as he took Nova's hand in his,_ "I will make sure that no harm will come to you... physically or emotionally. I, as well as the rest of the Team, will be here to protect you if you need it."_

The silver monkey sat down, never releasing her hand, and waited for the golden simian's eyes to open.

*** o 0 * 0 o ***

_(*Somewhere not at the Super Robot*)_

"Unhhh..."

"My Lord, The boy awakens." a distant sounding voice stated.

"Good, very good. All has gone according to plan." another voice said.

"_Ughh... w-what happened? Feel groggy... Where am I? Voices... two of them... sound so far away. Muffled... Am I underwater? No... feels like my head is though..."_

"A truly genius plan it was Master."

"Indeed Mandarin, it was. And we have the Hyperforce to thank for giving us the inspiration for it, do we not?"

"_The... Hyperforce? I remember them... why did they hurt me like that? Why... why was I alone? I'm not now... What _plan?"

"Hmm... the first time in a long while that my monkey brethren have actually done something _useful_. Heh..." Mandarin said

"Ugghhh... m- … –ad... –urts..."

"What did you say boy?"

"M-my head-d... it – it... _hurts_..."

"_Hahaha._ Well, that's to be expected boy. You've had a _very_ trying day, did you not?" the second voice sneered "Open your eyes."

"Unhhh" the boy moaned, and slowly lifted his eyelids. When he did, what he saw made him gasp.

He was strapped to a cold, hard table in a large, drafty room. Tall, spiky pillars carved out of a white-grey rock lined the walls, supporting the ceiling, which the boy was grateful for, due to the many cracks in the rock overhead.

The floor was made of the same material, making it seem like everything just blurred together. There were no windows; the only light sources were flickering torches that were casting tall, eerie shadows that danced across the wall. The room had a slight musty odor to it, most likely due to the furry brown mold growing in distant corners.

Directly in front of his table was a tall throne carved out of the same rock as the rest of the room, but instead of it being spiky and sharp looking, engraved on the cool surface were skulls and bones. The back of the impressive chair was carved to look like a spine and ribcage.

Perched upon this strange throne was the Skeleton King himself, the torchlight shone through the crystal skull, making it sparkle and glisten. Next to him stood the former leader of the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce, his face half hidden in shadow, making him seem more demonic than usual.

"Well, my hairless monkey," Mandarin said, smirking "you've finally awoken. It took you long enough."

"Ughhh… w-what happened? Where am I?" Chiro asked.

"You're in my throne room, boy," Skeleton King answered "Is it not glorious?"

"Y-yes."

"Do you know why you're here Chiro?" the bone monarch asked the black haired boy.

"N- … mayb- … ye- … I'm not sure. I can't... I-it's all a little hazy..."

"You are here to serve me and help me win this war." Skeleton King answered

"_And do everything he says... _everything_..."_ thought Mandarin, a sour look upon his face.

"Oh... is that all?" Chiro asked.

"Well… there is one more thing." the demon monkey told him, snickering.

"And what would that be?"

"_Two_ things. One: From now on, address me only as 'Master,' for that is what I am. Your master," the Lord of Darkness explained "The second..."

"Yes? M-master?" the human boy asked eagerly "H-how may I serve you?"

"_Hahaha_... the second thing you must do for me: Destroy the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce!"

"Yes Master. I will do as you command." Chiro said, his voice cold and laced with anger at the memory of the Monkey Team.

"Hmm… that's a smart boy. Soon, we will make our move on those filthy primates." Skeleton King started

"And my brothers will fall!" the skeletal monkey finished, laughing maniacally.

Chiro smirked and nodded. "Their days are numbered."

* * *

**AAHHHH! NO! Chiro called Skeleton King... MASTER! **

**Hey, you ever notice that before SK became a part of the SK Worm, his belt buckle had his initials on it? I personally think that's VERY strange, but what wasn't in that show? **


	6. Discovery

**Hello readers and writers of fanfiction and beyond, it's been a little while since I've updated, but I realize that the last chapter was a bit confusing, so I'll just sum it up really fast and you can get on with reading this chapter, k? **

**Nova's still unconscious and Sprx has unannounced feelings for her. Chiro wakes up in the Skeleton King's throne room, his memory is almost completely gone. ( The only thing he remembers is when he woke up alone on the battlefield and his encounter with Nova after that. ) He is also completely under Skeleton King's control, and both of those things are due to the mark that Skeleton King gave him. ( See end of chapter 4. ) Now, he is going to attack the Hyperforce! **

**Okay, sum-up's done. Onward!**

* * *

As Sprx was finally catching up on his sleep, the mechanic and the scientist of the Team were catching up on much needed repairs in the control room. Gibson was analyzing the array of wires and computer chips tangled in the walls, and Otto was under the main control panel, untangling and updating things where light didn't shine.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

"GAH! OTTO WHAT IS GOING ON!" screeched Gibson

"Dunno what you're talkin about Gibson. " Otto replied, waving a wrench out from under the panel he was working on.

"I HAVE CHECKED THE MONITORS AND THEY ARE SHOWING NO THREATS, YET THE ALARM IS GOING OFF! WHY?"

"Oh, that," the green monkey was quiet for a moment, tinkering with something, when suddenly the noise stopped. "Musta crossed the wrong wires by accident! Heh, sorry Gibson!"

"Yes, fine, whatever. Glad that's over." muttered Gibson, connecting two wires and twisting the black electrical tape around them.

The mechanic of the Team crawled under the large panel and started welding together parts that had fallen loose. It was quiet for a few moments more, just the sound of Otto's welding torch and the crackling of sparks as metal panels merged with each other. Both simians' faces remained black and expressionless as they worked.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

The alarm went off. Gibson dropped the wires he was holding and Otto banged his head on the underside of the controls.

"OTTO!" Gibson cried over the alarm "I WAS UNDER THE IDEA THAT YOU _FIXED_ THE PROBLEM! TURN IT OFF!"

"I DID FIX IT!" Otto yelled back towards his blue companion "IT'S NOT ME!"

The cobalt simian's oculars widened at what Otto said. "Oh no…" he whispered, realization dawning on him _"This is bad"_ he thought _"Nova's hurt, Chiro's gone, we don't stand a chance against our adversaries. Especially if it's..."_

The surveillance cameras turned on automatically and displayed their foes on the large screen above the two monkeys.

"Mandarin." Gibson spat as their former leader's demonic face showed up on the monitor.

As the cameras outside rotated, another person was displayed. Otto and Gibson's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and their mouths hung open as he came into full view. Antauri, Jinmay, Sprx rushed into the room as their second enemy was displayed. Their reactions were similar to Otto and Gibson's.

_"__No,__"_ Antauri whispered, disbelief filling his voice "_Chiro…_"

Jinmay's eyes filled with tears and she covered her mouth with her hands, sobbing silently as she took in what Chiro had become.

The fourteen year-old boy was another one of Skeleton King's minions now. Gone was the white uniform and orange scarf. They were replaced by black clothing covered by bone armor. Gone was the kind smile and the pair of sky blue eyes. Now, the boy had small fangs and a scowl to match. His eyes were a blood red and burning with a hateful fire. The black mark burned onto his forehead stood out against his pale skin.

Next to the boy was the disfigured, orange monkey, and following the two was a sizeable amount of skeleton soldiers.

Snapping out of his trance, Antauri turned to the blue furred scientist. "Gibson, call our allies. Tell them that we _need_ them. _Now__."_

Gibson shook his head and ran towards the monitor, pressing buttons to send out an alert. The silver monkey nodded and turned to the red and green monkeys.

"Otto, Sprx, activate the auto crew. We'll need one to replace Chiro," then, turning to the distraught, pink haired girl, Antauri placed a hand on her shoulder and said in a much gentler voice, "Jinmay, please take Nova's spot in Foot Cruiser Six."

The girl looked uncertain, her eyes still shining with tears.

"Please, Jinmay," Antauri's grip tightened slightly "We need you."

Jinmay took a deep, shuddering breath, nodded, then turned toward the yellow tube. The silver simian's eyes closed and he rubbed his temples, trying to clear his mind.

"_I would rather not be in this situation, it would be better if we just had _time_…"_ he thought _"But time is a virtue that we do not have…"_

By now, Sprx, Otto, and Gibson had finished their tasks and were headed towards their own tubes. On the monitor, the enemy had drawn closer. Antauri drew a deep breath, air filling his artificial lungs, and exhaled. He stood for a few seconds, taking in Chiro's face.

"Chiro, right now, I can sense that your soul is lost and your will is no longer yours. It is in your hands to help yourself out of this situation and regain control. I can only hope that you find your way back to the side of good." the spiritual advisor murmured to himself, then turned and headed for his own charcoal tube.

When he arrived in the Brain Scrambler Pilot, Sprx's face appeared on the screen.

"So, whadda we do now?" the pilot asked

"We'll have to make do without Chiro. Super…"

"Robot…"

"Monkey…"

"…Oh! Uh… Team…"

"Hyper …"

"… Force…"

"Go…"

Just as the last word escaped the Monkey Team's lips, the first blast came.

_"__AAHHHHH!"_


	7. Boom

**Sorry, sorry, sorry it took so long, but to write this story and for it to be **_**good**_**, I have to be in a certain mood and for the past few months I haven't been, and I'm still not, so I apologize if this chapter sucks too.**

**Lucky for all you fanfictioneers, I will be out of social commission this summer due to foot surgery, so I will have plenty of time to work on my stories. Oh, and next summer too. Yay for me.**

* * *

The Super Robot fell, parts and pieces falling off with clangs and booms. When the enormous machine finally hit the ground, its face plate was missing, as were several metal cuffs on the arms and legs, exposing the wires so intricately laced through the system like veins. There were plenty of places that Otto and Gibson had repaired, but the blast and fall completely trashed their handiwork.

"Our weapons system is failing! We can't fight back!" Otto screeched as he typed in commands in the Foot Crusher, trying desperately to hook the systems back up.

"Otto, Gibson," Antauri radioed "Is there any way for you two to get the systems back online from your stations?"

"Unfortunately, no," sighed Gibson "Even if we were able to override the system failures, it would take too long."

Antauri groaned and rubbed his eyes, a habit from before he turned full machine.

"Hey!" SPRX-77 piped up "Why are we wasting time complaining when we could be using every ounce of juice we got to clobber these guys? Better to go down fighting than not do anything at all."

In their respective cockpits, each conscious Monkey Team member smiled and nodded their heads.

"You're right, Sprx. Let's get 'em!" Jinmay pumped a fist in the air " But please don't hurt Chiro."

"…" Antauri was silent for a moment before replying "We'll try our best Jinmay, but if it has to come to that …"

"… I understand." Jinmay's eyes filled with tears again.

"Aw, Jinmay, none of us wanna hurt Chiro, but it looks like he wants ta hurt us." Otto chimed in.

"Hello? Did none of you hear me? We have to fight back! Let's g-" Sprx was cut off as another blast hit the Robot, driving it father into the ground.

The Robot shuddered in protest as its chest was almost completely plowed in, one wall collapsing dangerously close to the neutron generator.

"Is everybody okay?" Jinmay asked, her voice crackly over the now damaged communication system.

"Yeah, and we'll stay that way so long as we don't take another hit like that last one." Otto groaned, rubbing his head.

"Come on! Like I said, we gotta fight _back_ already!" cried the red pilot.

Suddenly, missiles fired from the fingers of the opposite Fist Rocket, spattering a sizeable number of Formless, including three of the larger ones that looked like slugs that went through an acid wash.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Gibson, smiling cheekily

Taking the hint, Otto and Jinmay fired missiles, with the appropriate battle cries, from their respective vehicles. One of the projectiles almost hit Chiro, but he simply waved it away with a lazy flick of his wrist.

"YOU STUPID PRIMATES! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HURT ME? AS IF YOU COULD DO ANYTHING WORSE THAN BEFORE!" the boy roared, calling forth the new, dark power that now surged within his soul.

"Incoming! Team, brace yourselves -!" Antauri cried as he saw the oncoming attack on his monitor.

He was cut off abruptly as a shock swept through the Robot, short circuiting practically every working system left. The blow was also the final hit needed to cause mass destruction. The mass of energy rammed into the outer shell surrounding the neutron core and the wall sank in deep. Alarms went off, warning the Team of imminent destruction.

"Guys! The neutron generator's gonna blow!" screeched the green monkey

"Quickly, Otto, can you raise the defense shields?" Gibson replied, trying to remain as calm as the situation allowed.

"I'm tryin, the system's not responding properly!"

"Gibson, I believe that I can access the defense mechanism from here." Antauri radioed.

"Hurry guys! The scanner says the generator's getting hotter!" cried Jinmay.

"System crash imminent! It's now or never Antauri!" Gibson exclaimed.

Typing commands as fast as the robot body would allow, Antauri desperately tried to raise the backup shields on the generator. Finally, he was able to get the system to respond and he punched a button so the system could receive the command. The shields went up just in time.

Not more than ten seconds after the enforced shields were raised, the neutron generator blew.

.~.~.

When the pain came, he thought it was a dream, no, a nightmare. It was too horrible, too intense to be real. He felt blood and pressure rise in his head with each pass from the rolling, burning waves of pain.

The red simian groaned, he couldn't move, the pain was paralyzing. Cracking open an eye, he surveyed his cockpit. It was dark, but the darkness _glowed_ at the same time. Part of the eerie light came from the monitors, all fuzzy with static and flickering on and off. The other part came from the black tendrils snaking around the cockpit. How they go in, he didn't know or care. The things were reaching towards him.

"No." he rasped, his throat tight with fear. He felt bile rise up and he swallowed, the liquid burning his windpipe.

Suddenly, a perfect circle of sunlight shone down; the porthole in the ceiling had been opened. Sprx craned his neck back, expecting to see salvation, a rescuer, but found that one of the creepy tendrils was slinking out of sight. It had opened the door; the _thing_ from the dark did it.

He blinked in the glare, hoping, praying, for one of the Monkey Team to appear in the opening, to help him, save him. No such luck. The black things came closer. The simian reached out and tried to blast them away, but the electric bolts he shot from his magnets did nothing, the beams simply went through the dark magic.

The tentacles reached the crimson monkey, he screeched as they wrapped themselves around his body. They had an intense burning-yet-cold feeling, like in the shower and the water is so hot that it seems freezing to the touch.

The tendrils constricted, and then started lifting him upward. He knew it was no use to struggle. Surrendering, he released the controls and let himself be carried to his fate.

.~.~.

"_Ha, disgusting monkeys, they actually thought they could get away with hurting me like that? With betrayal? Pathetic." _The black haired boy thought, a smug smile dancing on his lips.

He closed his hands into fists, enjoying the sight of the Monkey Team struggling to be free of their mystical bindings. He didn't know how exactly, but it was he, Chiro, that controlled the dark aura that imprisoned the colorful simians. The Skeleton King had done something when he had marked Chiro, perhaps went as far as corrupting the Power Primate that still dwelled somewhere within him.

Chiro took in the faces of each of the team, relishing in the growing expressions of fear and hopelessness etching across their features. Of course, Nova was still unconscious, hanging limply like a forgotten rag doll, and crystalline tears ran down Jinmay's cheeks in rivers. He tore his gaze from her shining green eyes; it hurt him still, seeing her like that.

"_Oh Chiro, how? Why? How could you do this to us?"_ Jinmay thought, feeling cool tears slide down, dangling on the underside of her chin before dropping down, down to the ground far beneath her feet.

It tore at her heart to see him like this, so full of anger.

"LET THEM GO!"

Chiro and Mandarin's heads whipped around in the direction the voice came from. The Monkey Team's allies were trying to fight their way through the horde of skeleton soldiers… and not getting very far.

"HA!" Mandarin cried "Fools, can they not tell we are triumphant here?"

"Hmm… We'll take the Hyperforce back to the Fortress and let the Master deal with them while their friends play with our Formless." Chiro said, gesturing towards the ongoing battle.

Mandarin nodded in agreement smiling. "Let us be on our way then."

Chiro raised his arm and the darkness enveloping the Team responded by tightening around its prisoners.

The boy and demon monkey shared smirks, then Mandarin gave a signal and the two of them made off with a small group of soldiers to the Skeleton King's fortress.

They led the way, the Team struggling to get free of their bindings behind them. Further back, their friends were still struggling to get to the captured primates.

"No!" Neekeeta cried, leaping towards the figures that were growing ever smaller as they escaped. She tried to lash out with her blade, but the large, slug shaped Formless in her way opened its mouth wide and shot sticky tendrils of black goop towards her. The long, horrible-smelling ooze covered her arms and blade, gluing her hands together. Just as the slug creature reared its head back to continue what it had started, Quasar yanked her out of the way and Aurora Six blasted it back to goop.

She thanked him by throwing a slight nod in his direction, then swung her glued hands up and over her head as a Formless tried to sneak up behind her.

Hacking and slashing, the small group cut their way through the horde for well over an hour. By the time they were done, they all smelled like decaying flesh and were covered in the disgusting, stinking, black, tar-like substance. The sun was high in the sky and they were all sweating and panting with the heat of exerting themselves.

Chiro and Mandarin were far away now, far away with the Monkey Team, their friends. It was silent as they all watched the horizon, all desperately hoping to see a small group of black dots growing larger in the sky. When it became more and more obvious that that was not going to happen, Johnny Sunspot turned and addressed the small crowd before him.

"So . . . What are we gonna do now?"

No one could answer.


	8. Trapped

**Oh, my lovies, I haven't updated in sooo long and I am sooo sorry! (You can tell cuz I put extra "o's" on the end of "so") I really have no excuse for not writing over the summer, but now I'm a (high school) sophomore and my classes are crazy! My AP U.S. History class is intense . . . (It's apparently the equivalent of a freshman collage course. Not bragging. xP) Ugh I like my geometry class better and I suck at math. I also understand now why everyone hates the freshmen, ha ha. (If any high school freshmen are reading this, no offense intended. You'll understand next year.)**

**Yeah… I will no longer irritate you with my lame excuses. ONWARD! (Sorry again…*sweatdrop*)**

* * *

"Those damn monkeys. They were fools to challenge me. Pathetic, stupid, insolent fools." Chiro muttered to himself as he paced around the large chamber given to him by the Master.

Even as he paced, those flea-bitten animals were locked up in the dungeons. By capturing them, the war had been (pretty much) won. All that was left was to let the Formless Army crush the Team's allies.

Glancing out the window, the boy remembered what his Master had told him before he set out for the Super Robot.

"_You are more powerful now than you ever were before. Those monkeys have had it coming to them for far too long now, and with you- You, Chiro, you are the key to winning this war. Capture them, and we will rule the universe together."_

Skeleton King had promised him power, and he granted it to him. He had promised Chiro new skills and magic beyond his imagination, and Chiro had been granted them. But something was nagging the boy… Skeleton King had promised a part of his future kingdom, but would he be willing to share it? He wasn't known for being all that willing to share.

Resuming his pacing, Chiro pondered something else about his Master's statement.

"_You are more powerful now than you ever were before…"_

"_Now? Before?_ What does that _mean?"_ It bothered him that he could remember only as far back as the incident on the battlefield with Mandarin, when he had woken up alone. "What made me forget? _What _did I forget? _Why_ did I forget everything?"

"You better not let the Master hear you. He'll think that you're questioning him, and that's when people die." A raspy voice came from behind him.

"Hello, Mandarin," Chiro said, annoyance laced within his words. "What do you want?"

Mandarin sneered at his tone. "Skeleton King wishes to speak with you. Now."

"Fine. He's in the throne room?"

"No, his tower."

"Thanks," Chiro strode past the monkey and paused at the doorway "Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

The demon monkey glared straight ahead, not bothering to look at the boy as he answered. "No. That was all."

Nodding, Chiro left the monkey and closed the door to the chamber.

"_Just you wait boy… I was Skeleton King's right-hand monkey, his most loyal follower. I was second in command and then you come in and took it all away from me! You're going to pay for that."_ He chuckled to himself. _"Once a weakling, always a weakling, no matter how much power the Master grants you."_

. .. .. .

"You wished to see me sir?" Chiro poked his head around the corner to the tower room where the Skeleton's regal, bony butt sat upon its regal, bony chair.

"Ah, Chiro. Yes, come here, boy,"

Chiro's eye twitched in annoyance at the nickname, "boy." It bothered him for some reason, pulling on a string deep inside him, for reasons he wasn't sure of.

"I want you to do something for me," Skeleton King continued, ignoring the flash of irritation in Chiro's eyes. "I was going to give this assignment to Mandarin, but he gets far to carried away at this particular task."

Chiro perked up at the thought of rubbing something in Mandarin's face. "What is it you wish of me?"

"I want you to go into the dungeons and make those monkeys pay for ever defying me."

. .. .. .

"Dammit! This sucks!" The outburst echoed throughout the stone prison beneath the Skeleton King's castle.

"Sprx, we are all very well aware of our present situation. Screaming profanities into the darkness won't help us get out of it."

"Yeah, well, shut up." Sprx countered

"Really, Sprx? That's the best you came up with?" Gibson smirked, but dropped it, once again frowning into the darkness around him. He couldn't see the cool, metal bars that his cheek was pressed against, let alone his teammates. He had no doubt in his mind that Skeleton King wanted it just like that – keep them in the dark, unable to find the comfort in each other, and no way to see or blast an exit.

"Ughh… wha-what happened?" a familiar voice asked "Where am I?"

"Nova!"

"Sprx! What's going on?"

Otto choose this moment to jump in "Well, we don't know for sure what happened, but Chiro knocked you out back at the Robot, you've been out of it for almost a whole day, Chiro teamed up with Skeleton King and Mandarin, attacked the Robot with all these weird, magically tentacle things that might've been really cool if, you know, they weren't being used by Chiro for evil –"

"Will you please finish already, Otto?" Gibson cut him off

"Fine!" the green monkey huffed "We were captured, the Robot was destroyed, Chiro's evil, and we're locked in Skeleton King's basement."

Nova was silent for a bit before she replied "Are you guys okay?" Her voice wavered. The boys didn't comment – they knew she was trying to be strong.

"Yeah, we're alright Novs," Sprx answered, his voice somewhat shaky as well. He didn't like not being able to see her, hell, he didn't like not being able to see, period. What really killed him was that he couldn't hold her hand and tell her that everything was going to be all right. But he couldn't lie, couldn't bear to tell her that he didn't know where Antauri and Jinmay were, or that the war was over, that they had lost.

"What is really important right now is you Nova. How are your wounds? Are you in any physical pain whatsoever?" Gibson asked

"No."

"That's good."

It was silent now, cold, cruel, and empty. In just two days, they had lost their leader, their home, and the war. Not a very good 48 hours. It wasn't long before the guys heard quiet sobbing coming from the direction where Nova's voice had come from a few minutes before.

"Nova?" asked Sprx

The sobbing continued.

"Hey, Novs," the red monkey started

"Sprx! Just – just, don't, okay?" she snapped at him. He flinched, hurt by her tone, but recovered quickly.

"No, Nova, I will. I know how hard this must be on you – none of us actually saw Chiro when he woke up, but you know what? We've been through worse! And we've made it through all that and _dammit,_ we're gonna make it through this too! We have to!"

"But…"

"Quiet! We all care about the kid, Nova! You're not the only one taking this hard! You're supposed to be the strong one! We're not dead yet, are we?"

"No, but –"

"Then there's still a chance that we're gonna find a way out of this mess! So stop crying! I can't…" he faltered "I can't… can't… just, don't cry anymore. Okay?"

His three companions were speechless.

"Sprx, that was -"Gibson started

"AMAZING! You never say stuff like that, Sprx!" Otto jumped in

Nova smiled into the dark. "Thanks for that, Sprx. I needed it."

Sprx blushed at her words. "Yeah, well, I'm sorry I yelled. It's just –"

"I know."

"We all know."

Their confidence returning, the monkeys smiled at where they thought the others were.

"Alright," Gibson said "We need a plan to get out of here. Try –"

A door creaked open somewhere behind them, the darkness ebbing away as light streamed in. The primates all turned to face the opening door, their jaws dropping and eyes widening in horror when they saw who it was."

"Thank you for the warm welcome. Did you miss me?"

* * *

**Oooohhh . . . who's the new person? (or primate?) Hell, I don't even know yet. I apologize again for not updating sooner, and that this chappie is so short, but I promise that I'll work on all my stories over Christmas Vacation. Now, I have to be getting back to my DBQ (Document Based Question) because my history teacher's an ass. Ta!**


	9. Exit Stage Left

**Oh geez, the last time I updated was in December… Sorry, sorry. I will try to update soon, but everything's going to be hectic until, like, July. ****Sorry.**

**But, anyway, I still love all my reviewers, and hope you still love this story enough to give it some positive feedback. **

* * *

_**Last Time…**_

_A door creaked open somewhere behind them, the darkness ebbing away as light streamed in. The primates all turned to face the opening door, their jaws dropping and eyes widening in horror when they saw who it was._

"_Thank you for the warm welcome. Did you miss me?"_

.:*:.

"Well come now, don't just stand there with your mouths open – flies will go down your throat." The newcomer smirked.

"Y-_You?"_ Gibson sputtered "Why? Why did you…?"

The person he was addressing stepped towards the cages, his features harshly contrasted between light and shadow.

"I have my own selfish reasons for helping you get free," Mandarin hissed _"None_ of which require any of your concern. Now, be _quiet_ you fool, lest someone hears you!"

The monkeys remained silent as their former leader unlocked their respective cells and set them free.

"Thank you," Nova mumbled, making brief eye contact with the demon monkey before looking hastily away.

The red, green, and blue monkeys muttered their thanks as well, looking awkward and uncomfortable. Mandarin couldn't blame them.

"Save your thanks," he spat "I will show you where Skeleton King is holding Antauri and that pink-haired abomination, but that is all."

The monkeys nodded dumbly, Nova mumbling something along the lines of "Jinmay's gonna kick your ass when I tell her what you called her…" and stumbled after him as he lead them from the dank room.

"_I suppose this _is_ my fault…"_ the demon monkey thought to himself _"It was I that twisted the boy's mind, made him doubt, and now he is taking my place. Still, I'd rather him be a thorn in my side fighting_ against _me, rather than _with _me."_

"_What's he thinking about?" _Sprx's eyes narrowed at Mandarin's back as he led them down another musty, twisting hall to their unknown destination. _"He's gotta have some kind of angle. Why else would he be helping us?"_

Left, left, right, middle path in the three way fork, right, left, left, left, left again, another right, right… the halls looped and curved like a confused, drunken snake through the fortress, each hall looking exactly the same as the last until they all blurred together as one. As the minutes wore on, the air grew colder and the ground sloped downwards. Moisture laced the walls, dripped from the ceiling, and made the uneven ground slippery.

"Woah!"

Nova, as weak and tired as she was, had lost her footing on a particularly sharp decline in the floor.

"I gotcha," Sprx murmured reassuringly into her ear as he caught her before she hit the ground and pulled her head level to his. The yellow monkey blushed slightly, causing Mandarin to hiss and tap his foot in impatience.

Both simians scrambled away from each other, a soft blush tinging their muzzles, mumbling their apologies. It was amazing; although Mandarin was no longer their leader, for some strange reason he still seemed to hold power over his former comrades.

Quickly, the five primates continued on their way.

Finally, they reached their destination; a heavy metal door embedded into the rock. With the dim lighting and the door's color, they would have passed right by if Mandarin had not stopped them.

"In here," he rasped "I will unlock the door and point you to the exit, but you must never tell that I helped you."

The demon monkey wore a dangerous look on his face, prompting his more colorful counterparts to nod hastily in agreement. Satisfied that he scared them into obedience, Mandarin turned, pulled out the key ring, the different sized keys clanging together, inserted a tiny key into the lock on the door, and opened it.

.:*:.

It was an honor, a true gift to have been given this task from his master. It was wrong, Chiro knew, to have doubted Skeleton King, and now he was given the chance to prove his loyalty to the man who gave him his dark power and, in a way, brought him into the light.

_"I want you to go into the dungeons and make those monkeys pay for ever defying me."_

Oh, yes, Chiro would make those filthy hybrids of machine and flesh regret their crimes against Skeleton King – and against himself.

"But what to do to _break _them?" Chiro murmured to himself as he made his way (menacingly, as all villains do) down a steep spiral staircase.

Antauri and Jinmay were being taken care of for the time being, until Skeleton King figured out how to properly dispose of them, so the task for coming up with ways to torture the Monkey Team was left to Chiro.

"Electrocution might be fun… but they might short-circuit too soon and then it would be over… Starvation? Nah, takes too long. I need something _good…_ something that's not too fast but doesn't drag on forever…" the boy thought out loud, making his way to where the monkeys were being held.

Thoughts and ideas swirled through Chiro's mind like a tornado; one idea had barely enough time to gain a foothold before it was whisked away by a new, more painful scheme.

Reaching his destination, Chiro paused outside the door as an epiphany struck him. "If they can lie to me and make me believe it's the truth, then I can do the same to them. There's nothing wrong with a little brainwashing, right?" Chiro chuckled darkly. _"And_ I'll starve and electrocute them at the same time! It's perfect."

With a grin as false and wide as the Cheshire Cat's plastered on his face, Chiro unlocked the dungeon door and stepped into the pitch black room.

"Hey monkeys, ya glad to see me?" he called into the darkness.

No answer.

"Hey! Why aren't you saying anything? I asked you a question!"

His only reply was the silence ringing in his ears.

A feeling suspicion creeping up his spine, Chiro rushed to the nearest cell.

"Empty!"

And the next; "Empty!"

And the one after that; _"Empty!"_

And the one after _that;_ "EMPTY!"

"THEY _ESCAPED?_ DAMN MONKEYS!" Chiro roared, his face red with anger. "You can't hide from me forever. And when I find you… Oh… You're all gonna _pay!"_

* * *

**Yes, yes it's shorter than my other chapters, but it's 1:30 in the morning, I'm tired, and I just want to get this story done! I swear, over the summer, I'm just going to write the last couple chapters and post them up here, all at once. I have some cool ideas for new stories, but I don't want to be working on more than two at a time. (Because you can see how bad I am at updating right now).**

**So, please, bear with me. I want this to be done by August, and I plan on keeping it that way. I gots a plan, an I'm going to stick to it.**


	10. Houston, We have a Problem

**Okaayyy, so I lied. I said this would be done by August, but I'm a lazy ass of a person.**** *Rolls eyes* Not to mention the whole issue with hurricane Irene… going without any power or internet wasn't terrible, just irritating, and I couldn't get online to upload this once it was complete. The good news is though, it **_**is**_** done**_**.**_** No, this isn't the final chapter; it's just one of the last three. I will be posting daily until every chapter is used up. (That way you don't fry your brains on all the **_**awesomeness.**_** Nah, I'm kidding. Honestly, I have no idea why or how you people have stuck it out this long.)**

**So enjoy. (If you dare~!) o3o**

* * *

"_DAMN MONKEYS!" Chiro roared, his face red with anger. "You can't hide from me forever. And when I find you… Oh… You're all gonna pay!"_

To say that Chiro was angry was an understatement. He was seething. Furious. Enraged. Outraged. Livid. Seeing _red._ Other words synonymous to "mad" but much worse that just plain old "mad." He was fucking _pissed._

"You!" He yelled, turning and to point at a soldier at the end of the hall "Get over here!"

The soldier hurried to the boy gleefully, having sensed a dangerous aura about him and wanting to be a part of the action.

"The prisoners have escaped! Round up a search party and _find_ them!" he fumed, then, pausing for a moment, a revelation came upon him _"And_ the traitor who helped set them free. I want his head on a platter."

The Formless nodded, then scurried off to find other willing participants in the man – monkey – hunt.

"When I get my hands on you four, I'll make sure you suffer for what you've done."

Mandarin turned the key in the door's lock and pushed it open.

The monkeys' oculars widened as the light from the room washed over them. Inside the (surprisingly) pristine, white room were two metal tables. And on those two tables, restricted by heavy bands of metal, were the still forms of Antauri and Jinmay.

The monkey team rushed over to their unconscious teammates; Otto and Gibson began to inspect the metal belts, trying to find a way to open them, and Sprx and Nova began to reactivate the two robots.

"She's not waking up!" Nova exclaimed when Jinmay's eyes failed to open after the reactivation sequence.

"Antauri's not wakin' up either, guys." Sprx added worriedly.

"The bands…" murmured the blue monkey "They seem to be generating an energy or signal of sorts to prevent these two from reactivating."

"So? Cut 'em off of 'em Otto!" Sprx ordered.

The green mechanic shot an anxious look to the red and blue simians "Uh… I-I _would, _but it's a really bad idea. If I cut somethin' the wrong way, they could get stuck like this."

"Well, we gotta try!"

"_We?_ No we, _me."_

"Whadda mean, _you?_ We're a team!"

"Yeah, but _I'm_ always the one that cuts through things!"

"But I have magnets! Maybe my magnets can disrupt the signal…"

"No, it's too risky!"

"But-!"

"Tell me, are you all _stupid,_ or do you only see what you want to see?"

Four heads shot around towards Mandarin's voice, and they found him standing in front of a control panel.

"While you four were spewing lines from a bad soap opera, I took the liberty of entering the pass code for the restraints. You can just _lift_ them; once they are removed you can reactivate those two." He rolled his eyes.

Sheepish looks were exchanged for a moment before Nova and Gibson lifted the metal cufflinks strapping the two to their respective tables. Otto reached over and reactivated Jinmay, Sprx woke up Antauri.

Moaning, the two robots sat up and took in their surroundings, their eyes coming to rest on the colorful simians grouped around them.

"How're you feeling?" asked Nova, reaching a concerned hand toward Antauri, but he waved it away.

"I should be asking you that, seeing as you were unconscious only a short while ago. Are you sure you can be walking around?" he responded, shooting a look at the blue medic of the team for confirmation.

"As much as I would enjoy having her on full bed rest for at _least_ another forty-eight hours, we are not in a position that allows it."

The silver monkey nodded solemnly, took Nova's still outstretched hand, and slid off the table. Jinmay hopped off her bench and glanced forlornly at the floor.

"Chiro's still…?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Ah-_hem."_ Came an agitated huff from a corner behind the team "If you all have death wishes, _please,_ continue just standing around. _I,_ on the other hand, wish to live, so if you want to leave here alive, you'll come _now,_ and not delay any longer."

"Oh! Ah, now, don't freak out…" Nova reassured the silver monkey and the pinkette.

"Mandarin's the one that set us free." The pilot informed.

"And he's helping us get out." Otto added.

Gibson muttered under his breath. "It's not _suspicious _at all…"

"Is this true, Mandarin?" Antauri questioned.

"Yes, yes. Now can we go?"

The six comrades spared one final glace at one another before starting towards the door.

The demon monkey rolled his eyes and followed suit, closing and locking the door behind him.

"Come, quickly." He hissed, motioning over his shoulder for them to follow.

The colorful group hurried down the hall after the skeletal monkey, being careful to keep quiet. Minutes wore on as the team ran in silence, the halls twisting and turning before them.

Suddenly, Mandarin came to a screeching halt at an intersecting hallway. He motioned for them to get against the wall.

"Hide!"

The Hyperforce wasted no time in running toward the shadows in the dimly lit corridor; Otto had just squeezed in-between Sprx and Antauri when a group of Formless soldiers stalked past.

Curiosity and panic seized Mandarin for a brief moment, and he called after them; "Stop, you moronic lumps of ooze! Where are you going?"

Due to the fact that they could not talk, the Formless had to convey their orders through a series of complicated hand gestures (though to the monkey team, it looked like charades). When they conveyed to Mandarin that they were looking for the escaped monkeys and the person that set them free, he did his best to feign shock and anger, which, in reality, was rather good, even though it was not difficult to fool Formless.

"Why was I not told sooner? I saw them being escorted with Sakko in the North Wing, I thought that they were being led to their punishment! Go find that snotty little drag queen and bring him to Skeleton King! I'm sure that he would find great enjoyment in torturing that little traitor." He lied easily. Sakko had always been an annoyance and Skeleton King had never listened to that sorry excuse of an evil minion anyway; Sakko's attempts at telling the truth should therefore buy him more than enough time to get the Hyperforce out of the fortress and come up with a believable story as to how he was mistaken.

He watched as the group of Formless scurried off down the corridor to carry out orders. Mandarin waited until they were out of sight before motioning to the Hyperforce to come out.

"They know we've escaped." Antauri said. It was a statement, not a question.

"They know these four," Mandarin gestured towards Nova, Sprx, Otto, and Gibson "escaped. I'm sure they do not know that you two have, or else they would have suspected me. Only the higher ups, myself, Sakko, Chiro, and Skeleton King, have a key to the room you were locked in."

"So you led them to suspect Sakko? Why betray him?" Nova questioned.

"Simple. I hate him. Now, let's go. I cannot lead you much farther, but I will go as far as I can. Hurry!"

With that, the six Hyperforce members took off down the hall after Mandarin, towards freedom.


End file.
